Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

It is very common for people to change both their habits and their opinions as they get older.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

It is argued that countries should allocate more funds to education than to leisure and competitive games. It is agreed that national budgets should prioritise schools and universities over sports and play. First, I will discuss the economic benefits that education can bring to a nation and, secondly, its social benefits.

Investment in its education system is one of the best ways to improve a country’s economy in the long term. The more students entering third-level education, the more skilled a workforce will be, leading to higher innovation and productivity. For example, South Korea and Finland decided to invest a large proportion of their budget in education, and this has reaped benefits in the form of high-tech companies such as Samsung and Nokia. However, people cannot always work hard, and these companies provide leisure facilities for their workers.

Education is not just about improving the economy; it also has many social benefits. Well-educated people tend to be more aware of social evils such as drugs, alcohol and sexual health. For example, Singapore educates all of its citizens on the dangers of drugs, resulting in one of the lowest levels of drug abuse in the world. Despite this, sports can also teach children valuable soft skills, such as teamwork and work ethic, which also help curb social ills.

In conclusion, education should take precedence over sports when it comes to funding due to the many socio-economic benefits it brings. It is recommended that governments continue to pump money into schools and universities to realise long-term goals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The candidate has fundamentally misunderstood the prompt. The essay discusses whether governments should allocate more funds to education than to leisure and competitive games, which is a classic Academic Task 2 prompt about government spending, completely ignoring the General Training prompt about whether people change their habits and opinions as they get older. As a result, the response is largely off-topic for the assigned task. According to the band descriptors, an off-topic response severely limits task achievement. Although the ideas presented are well-developed in themselves, they do not address the prompt provided. Therefore, a band score of 3.0 is warranted because the response responds to a completely different task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

Despite the severe task mismatch, the essay demonstrates a clear structure with an introduction, well-defined body paragraphs discussing economic and social benefits, and a concluding paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'secondly', 'For example', and 'However' are employed to connect ideas logically and ensure smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs. The logical progression of thought is evident throughout the writing. While referencing is generally clear, the lack of relevance to the actual prompt restricts how high this criterion can be scored in the context of the essay, but looking purely at the structural organisation, it aligns with a band 6.0 standard.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for task communication, successfully utilising terms related to education and economics, such as 'allocate', 'prioritise', 'workforce', and 'socio-economic'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, including phrases like 'reaped benefits' and 'take precedence'. Word choices are generally appropriate, and spelling is accurate throughout the response. Although the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the writer's intended meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher band levels. There are no major lexical errors that impede communication, making this consistent with a band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with good control over basic structures. The candidate successfully uses subordinate clauses and conditional elements, such as 'The more students entering third-level education, the more skilled a workforce will be'. There are several error-free sentences, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout. While occasional minor grammatical imperfections exist, they are infrequent and do not impede the reader's understanding. The grammatical range is sufficient for clear communication, supporting a solid band 6.0 performance.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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